DOCSLIB.ORG

A Guide to Understanding Biosolids Issues

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
A Guide to Understanding Biosolids Issues A Guide to Understanding Biosolids Issues Biosolids recycling is a safe practice when done in accordance with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) regulatory program (40 CFR Part 503) for biosolids as well as often stricter state requirements. Studies by EPA, the Water Environment Research Foundation (WERF) and the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) have demonstrated that the beneficial land application of biosolids poses a negligible risk to human health and is becoming consistently and increasingly safer. The Water Environment Federation (WEF) and NACWA agree that additional research on biosolids application is necessary and will always be necessary to continue improving the biosolids application process, just as further study is required on much more widely used fertilizers such as manure and others. WEF and NACWA believe the public should be secure given the scientific data that already exists regarding the safety of land applied biosolids (see reference material supplied below) and fully expects this sense of security to increase with further studies, some of which are already in progress. Such studies will further increase our knowledge about biosolids, develop technologies to reduce odor, and make treatment even more effective. In addition to further scientific study, national water quality organizations, led by the National Biosolids Partnership (NBP) — comprised of EPA, WEF and NACWA — are aggressively encouraging the implementation of the use by publicly owned treatment works (POTWs) of environmental management systems (EMSs) for biosolids. An EMS is a progressive management tool to enhance and complement regulatory requirements at the local, state, and federal levels, while at the same time providing a mechanism to respond efficiently to public concerns regarding biosolids. What follows below is an overview of what biosolids are; where the science on biosolids is and is going; what initiatives EPA and other organizations can engage in to further ensure safe biosolids practices and public confidence; and the growing importance of EMS as this important national, natural resource increases in use and acceptance. WHAT ARE BIOSOLIDS? Biosolids are nutrient-rich organic materials from the treatment of domestic sewage in a wastewater treatment facility. Biosolids are a beneficial resource, containing essential plant nutrients and organic matter and are recycled as a fertilizer and soil amendment. When sewage solids are treated and processed, these residuals can be recycled and applied as biosolids to improve and maintain productive soils and stimulate plant growth. In the U.S., sewage solids must be treated to meet EPA’s Part 503 sewage sludge regulatory requirements if they are to be recycled as biosolids. EPA estimates that more than 7 million dry tons of solids are generated annually for use or disposal by the 16,000 wastewater treatment facilities nationwide. Several biosolids management options are available under the Part 503 regulations. Approximately 60% are land applied, composted, or used as landfill cover, 22% are incinerated, and the remaining 17% are disposed of in landfills. CURRENT STUDIES DEMONSTRATE THAT BIOSOLIDS ARE PROTECTIVE OF HUMAN HEALTH NACWA and WEF believe that EPA’s risk assessment for the 40 CFR Part 503 Rule, which governs the use and disposal of sewage sludge and biosolids, is adequate to protect human health and the environment when biosolids management practices prescribed in the rule are followed. Wastewater treatment and biosolids management programs across the country strive to carefully follow all applicable regulations and best management practices in the Part 503 and parallel state rules. Professionals managing biosolids concur with EPA’s long-standing appraisal that biosolids recycling is a relatively low-risk activity. Nonetheless, there will always be new information and questions arising about various aspects of biosolids management. But, the questions being studied today are often about more subtle potential risks than those that have been studied and addressed intensively over the past thirty years (e.g. heavy metals). Decades of experience and hundreds of studies regarding biosolids recycling make it unlikely that there are any significant negative surprises yet to be discovered about this form of recycling. A comprehensive National Academy of Sciences/National Research Council review of the Part 503 biosolids management program in 1996 found biosolids use on food and other crops presents “negligible risk” when conducted in accordance with federal regulations. Many state regulations are significantly more restrictive than the Part 503 regulations, thus further safeguarding public health and the environment. Wastewater treatment facilities are highly regulated under the Clean Water Act and other regulatory requirements. Pretreatment and pollution prevention programs, in particular, contribute significantly to enhancing biosolids quality. Biosolids recycling is a highly regulated management practice, even though biosolids are only applied on one percent of the nation’s agricultural acreage. In comparison, other soil amendments and fertilizers that are applied on the majority of agricultural land (manure and commercial fertilizers), are minimally regulated, if at all, and no pathogen testing is done on them. FURTHER STUDY WILL ENSURE BIOSOLIDS PRACTICES BECOME EVEN SAFER Some citizens have had concerns with biosolids management practices that create odors and other potential nuisances that could interfere with quality of life in local communities. POTWs want to forthrightly address these concerns and intend to continue to work with EPA and with recognized scientific bodies as they pursue additional studies to further assess risks associated with pathogens and any other emerging biosolids issues. As ongoing studies of potential pathogen or other risks continue, biosolids management practices will need to be amended in accordance with latest scientific findings. The water quality profession also understands those citizens with compromised immune systems living near land application sites may react differently to biosolids odors, or manure for that matter, than other people, and this is an area that needs further study. In the meantime, biosolids managers will continue their constant efforts to minimize potentially negative impacts to neighbors and the environment. It is important to note, however, that even as potential pathogen concerns are researched further, we have decades of experience with exposure to untreated wastewater, untreated wastewater solids, and biosolids (treated according to Part 503 regulations) - more than 100,000 water quality experts work at the 16,000 wastewater treatment 2 facilities around the U.S. every day. The May 2002 issue of Water Environment & Technology, a leading magazine in the water quality field, included a review of the literature on effects of exposure of people to pathogens in wastewater and biosolids. The conclusion was that wastewater workers — the most exposed population to wastewater-borne pathogens — are as healthy as the general population. There are no independently verified proven serious health impacts from biosolids recycling, despite allegations; however, there are anecdotal complaints of minor health impacts. The water quality and biosolids management professional community stands prepared to assist EPA in further determining the extent of any such impacts and in implementing activities that further protect human health and the environment. Any field based on scientific analysis will always be advancing as knowledge progresses, and biosolids recycling will continue to advance. NACWA, WEF and WERF stand ready to help design, conduct, fund, and review additional studies — in fact, we are already doing so and have always been doing so. Several studies of pathogens in biosolids are now underway. For example, WERF has approved four such studies. One of these looks at the regrowth of pathogenic organisms in dewatered biosolids. A second study seeks to quantify airborne biological contaminants associated with land-applied biosolids. Yet another study looks at how sample processing affects the analysis of biosolids samples. And the fourth looks at constructing a dynamic model to assess microbial health risks associated with the beneficial reuse of biosolids. A recently completed WERF study also found that the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of biosolids compare favorably with other soil amendments such as manure and commercial fertilizers. EPA is also working with USDA on research measuring odors and bioaerosols from biosolids land application sites. Recently, the EPA completed data collection activities and has found that biosolids contain very nominal levels of dioxins and dioxin-like compounds and pose very low risk to human health and the environment with regard to that potential concern. Research into new areas is needed by EPA and others to continue to help build public confidence by supporting further studies on pathogen issues in biosolids, animal manures and other similar by-products. EPA should support research on odor associated with biosolids processing and how to minimize odors through management of biosolids at the treatment plant and during subsequent processing or land application. EPA INVESTIGATIONS SHOW NO LINK BETWEEN BIOSOLIDS AND HEALTH IMPACTS, NIOSH RESCINDS HAZARD ID EPA has been criticized for not being more responsive in reviewing selected projects or situations
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Legislation for the Reuse of Biosolids on Agricultural Land in Europe: Overview
    sustainability Review Legislation for the Reuse of Biosolids on Agricultural Land in Europe: Overview Maria Cristina Collivignarelli 1 , Alessandro Abbà 2, Andrea Frattarola 1, Marco Carnevale Miino 1 , Sergio Padovani 3, Ioannis Katsoyiannis 4,* and Vincenzo Torretta 5 1 Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering, University of Pavia, via Ferrata 1, 27100 Pavia, Italy; [email protected] (M.C.C.); [email protected] (A.F.); [email protected] (M.C.M.) 2 Department of Civil, Environmental, Architectural Engineering and Mathematics, University of Brescia, via Branze 43, 25123 Brescia, Italy; [email protected] 3 ARPA Lombardia, Pavia Department, via Nino Bixio 13, 27100 Pavia, Italy; [email protected] 4 Department of Chemistry, Laboratory of Chemical and Environmental Technology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece 5 Department of Theoretical and Applied Sciences, University of Insubria, via G.B. Vico 46, 21100 Varese, Italy; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected] Received: 17 September 2019; Accepted: 25 October 2019; Published: 29 October 2019 Abstract: The issues concerning the management of sewage sludge produced in wastewater treatment plants are becoming more important in Europe due to: (i) the modification of sludge quality (biological and chemical sludge are often mixed with negative impacts on sludge management, especially for land application); (ii) the evolution of legislation (landfill disposal is banned in many European countries); and (iii) the technologies for energy and material recovery from sludge not being fully applied in all European Member States. Furthermore, Directive 2018/851/EC introduced the waste hierarchy that involved a new strategy with the prevention in waste production and the minimization of landfill disposal.
    [Show full text]
  • Revegetation of Mine Tailings Throughthe Use of Biosolid Amendment1
    REVEGETATION OF MINE TAILINGS THROUGHTHE USE OF BIOSOLID AMENDMENT1 I.L. Pepper2, S.A. Bengson, P.R. Rao, and K.L. Josephson Abstract. Mine tailings represent the end product of mineral ores that are processed to extract specific metals such as copper. Tailings are in essence crushed rock with 0% organic matter, and can be layered to depths of 30B36m. We evaluated revegetation of mine tailings through the one time application of municipal biosolids. Specifically a 2 hectare copper mine-tailing plot near the Mission Mine in Southern Arizona was designated for this study. Approximately 220 dry tons per hectare of biosolids was added and incorporated in December 1998. The potential for successful revegetation was evaluated by monitoring soil microbial populations, which quickly become established at •107 heterotrophic bacteria per gram of biosolid amended mine tailings. By September 2001 vegetative cover had increased from zero to 77%. Initially bermudagrass and Russian Thistle were the predominant species involved. More recently Buffalo grass and Lehmans Lovegrass have become more prominent. Monitoring of soil metal concentrations as a function of depth showed that the tailings were the major source of metals, not the biosolids. There was no evidence that metals were leaching under the low rainfall, non-irrigated conditions. Plant tissue metal concentrations showed that phytoremediation could remove metals from the surface depths of tailings. Soil nitrate concentrations varied seasonally and with tailing depth. Nitrogen transformations included ammonification, nitrification and denitrification, which allowed nitrogen to be removed from tailings. Leaching of nitrate appeared to be minimal. Overall biosolid amendment of mine tailings appeared to be a successful technological approach to enhance revegetation of the mine tailings.
    [Show full text]
  • Biosolids Management in New York State
    Biosolids Management in New York State MARCH 2018 DIVISION OF MATERIALS MANAGEMENT | 625 BROADWAY, ALBANY, NY 12233-7253 Preface This report is an update to the Division of Materials Management 2011 edition of “Biosolids Management in New York State.” It provides the most current information available concerning biosolids management practices in New York State. Biosolids was previously called sewage sludge. 6 NYCRR Part 360 regulations define biosolids as: the accumulated semi-solids or solids resulting from treatment of wastewaters from publicly or privately owned or operated sewage treatment plants. Biosolids does not include grit or screenings, or ash generated from the incineration of biosolids. We would like to thank all chief operators and managers of the wastewater treatment facilities in New York State that responded to our survey questionnaires. The report could not be completed as comprehensively without their assistance. Any comments, questions, or requests for specific data regarding this report may be sent to Molly Baker at [email protected]. Table of Contents Findings Summary ......................................................................................................................................... 1 Biosolids Management Survey ...................................................................................................................... 3 Sources of Information ............................................................................................................................. 3 Biosolids
    [Show full text]
  • A Review of Pretreatment Methods to Enhance Solids Reduction During
    applied sciences Review A Review of Pretreatment Methods to Enhance Solids Reduction during Anaerobic Digestion of Municipal Wastewater Sludges and the Resulting Digester Performance: Implications to Future Urban Biorefineries Bimi Shrestha 1, Rafael Hernandez 1, Dhan Lord B. Fortela 1, Wayne Sharp 2, Andrei Chistoserdov 3, Daniel Gang 2 , Emmanuel Revellame 4, William Holmes 5 and Mark E. Zappi 1,* 1 Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Lafayette, LA 70504, USA; [email protected] (B.S.); [email protected] (R.H.); [email protected] (D.L.B.F.) 2 Department of Civil Engineering, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Lafayette, LA 70504, USA; [email protected] (W.S.); [email protected] (D.G.) 3 Department of Biology, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Lafayette, LA 70504, USA; [email protected] 4 Department of Industrial Technology, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Lafayette, LA 70504, USA; [email protected] 5 Energy Institute of Louisiana, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Lafayette, LA 70503, USA; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected] Received: 18 November 2020; Accepted: 18 December 2020; Published: 21 December 2020 Abstract: The rapid increase in the population is expected to result in the approaching of design capacity for many US wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) over the next decade. WWTPs treat both municipal and industrial wastewater influents, resulting in the production of biosolids after digestion. Biogas, a potential recovered alternative energy source, is also produced as an output from successful anaerobic digestion. More than 7M of dry tons/year of biosolids produced in the US are most often disposed in either landfills or land-applied (~80%).
    [Show full text]
  • Sewage Sludge (Biosolids) Were Incomplete Or in Biosolids but Cannot Yet and the Environment
    U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL Cleaning up and revitalizing land EPA Unable to Assess the Impact of Hundreds of Unregulated Pollutants in Land-Applied Biosolids on Human Health and the Environment Report No. 19-P-0002 November 15, 2018 Report Contributors: Tina Lovingood Jill Trynosky Jenny Drzewiecki Ben Beeson Patrick Milligan Abbreviations CDC U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CFR Code of Federal Regulations EPA U.S. Environmental Protection Agency NIOSH National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health NPDES National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System OECA Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance OIG Office of Inspector General POTW Publicly Operated Treatment Works RCRA Resource Conservation and Recovery Act USGS U.S. Geological Survey Cover Photo: Tilling soil and injecting biosolids into a farm field near Madison, Wisconsin. (OIG photo) Are you aware of fraud, waste or abuse in an EPA Office of Inspector General EPA program? 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW (2410T) Washington, DC 20460 EPA Inspector General Hotline (202) 566-2391 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW (2431T) www.epa.gov/oig Washington, DC 20460 (888) 546-8740 (202) 566-2599 (fax) [email protected] Subscribe to our Email Updates Follow us on Twitter @EPAoig Learn more about our OIG Hotline. Send us your Project Suggestions U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 19-P-0002 Office of Inspector General November 15, 2018 At a Glance Why We Did This Review EPA Unable to Assess the Impact of Hundreds of We conducted this audit to Unregulated Pollutants in Land-Applied determine whether the U.S. Environmental Biosolids on Human Health and the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) has and implements controls What We Found over the land application of sewage sludge that are The EPA’s controls over the land application of The EPA identified 352 pollutants protective of human health sewage sludge (biosolids) were incomplete or in biosolids but cannot yet and the environment.
    [Show full text]
  • Wastewater Treatment Processes SCHOOL of PLANT and ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES, VIRGINIA TECH
    Wastewater Treatment Processes SCHOOL OF PLANT AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES, VIRGINIA TECH By: Odiney Alvarez-Campos and Dr. Gregory Evanylo Biosolids are byproducts of wastewater treatment, whose processing permits safe and beneficial land application. Wastewater treatments plants (WWTP) receive sewage from household and industrial sources. The wastewater is subjected to physical, biological, and chemical processes that separate solids so that the effluent can be further treated for reuse (for example, irrigation) or returned to surface water. The solids are treated to reduce disease transfer risk and attraction by vectors in preparation for land application as “biosolids.” At the WWTP, wastewater solids are separated from the liquid fraction via primary and secondary sedimentation. Waste-activated sludge is biologically treated to reduce organic matter between primary and secondary sedimentation. The resulting effluent is often further treated via biological (enhanced microbial P removal) or chemical (P precipitation by Fe or Al compounds, chlorination) methods to remove potentially water-contaminating P and to destroy remaining microorganisms. Combined primary and secondary sewage sludge are treated to reduce pathogens, odors, and disease vectors in order to permit their safe application to land as sources of essential plant nutrients and organic matter. Land applying biosolids prevents these potentially valuable soil amendments from being wasted via landfilling or incineration. The final quality of biosolids depends on the processes used to treat it and control of the quality of sewage accepted. Wastewater pretreatment regulations permit WWTP to accept only wastewater that does not contain excessive concentrations of certain pollutants, such as heavy metals, PCBs, dioxins, ensuring that the biosolids generated contain low concentrations of such pollutants.
    [Show full text]
  • Growth of Selected Plant Species in Biosolids-Amended Mine Tailings Hannah Joy P
    Southern Illinois University Carbondale OpenSIUC Publications Department of Plant Biology 9-2015 Growth of selected plant species in biosolids- amended mine tailings Hannah Alcantara Augustine Doronila Marc Nicolas Stephen Ebbs Southern Illinois University Carbondale, [email protected] Spas Kolev Follow this and additional works at: http://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/pb_pubs ©2015. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ Recommended Citation Alcantara, Hannah, Doronila, Augustine, Nicolas, Marc, Ebbs, Stephen and Kolev, Spas. "Growth of selected plant species in biosolids- amended mine tailings." Minerals Engineering 80 (Sep 2015): 25-32. doi:10.1016/j.mineng.2015.06.012. This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of Plant Biology at OpenSIUC. It has been accepted for inclusion in Publications by an authorized administrator of OpenSIUC. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Growth of selected plant species in biosolids-amended mine tailings Hannah Joy P. Alcantaraa,b, Augustine I. Doronilaa, Marc Nicolasb, Stephen D. Ebbsc, Spas D. Koleva, * aSchool of Chemistry, The University of Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia bFaculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia cDepartment of Plant Biology and Center for Ecology, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL 62901 *Corresponding author. Tel.: +61 3 83447931 E-mail address: [email protected] (Spas D. Kolev). 1 ABSTRACT Biosolids stockpiles from sewage treatment plants are a valuable source of organic matter which could be utilized to improve the nutritional status and physical properties of Au mine tailings and support the growth of vegetation planted in the tailings.
    [Show full text]
  • WEF Fact Sheet on Land Application and Composting of Biosolids
    Q&A/Fact Sheet May 2010 Land Application and Composting of Biosolids What are biosolids? What are some of the benefits of Every day, wastewater treatment facilities across the country biosolids land application? treat billions of gallons of wastewater generated by homes and The benefits of biosolids for both soil and vegetation are numer- businesses. The treatment process produces liquid effluent that ous and well recognized.6 Biosolids provide primary nutrients is discharged to water bodies or reused as well as a byproduct (nitrogen and phosphorous) and secondary nutrients such as of solid residues (sewage sludge) that must be managed in an calcium, iron, magnesium and zinc. Also, the use of biosolids environmentally responsible manner. Although the terms “bio- increases crop yields and maintains nutrients in the root zone solids” and “sewage sludge” are often used interchangeably, and unlike chemical fertilizers, biosolids provide nitrogen that they are not the same. With further treatment, sewage sludge is released slowly over the growing season as the nutrient is can yield biosolids, which is defined by the U.S. Environmen- mineralized and made available for plant uptake.7 Land applica- tal Protection Agency (EPA) as “nutrient-rich organic materials tion of biosolids can also offer net greenhouse gas benefits by resulting from the treatment of domestic sewage in a treatment recycling carbon to the soil and fertilizing vegetation for further facility... that can be recycled and applied as fertilizer to improve carbon dioxide capture.8
    [Show full text]
  • Biosolids Snapshot
    June 2012 BIOSOLIDS SNAPSHOT Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities pollution solutions & designs pty ltd nt | 13 zeil street, alice springs nt 0870 qld | 19 swallow pl. sinnamon park qld 4073 phone: 08 8955 0033 web: psd.net.au SEWPAC BIOSOLIDS SnAPShOt Statement of Limitation This submission has been prepared solely for the Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities. No liability is accepted by this company or any employee or sub-consultant of this company with respect to its use by any other person. The concepts and details in this document are governed by the copyright laws of New South Wales. Unauthorised use of the concepts or information in this document in any form whatsoever is prohibited, without the express written permission of Pollution Solutions and Designs Pty Ltd. QuaLity aSSurance Statement client: the Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities Project name: Biosolids Snapshot PSD Job number: J206 Document file reference: P:\PSD:\Jobs\Current projects\j206 sewpac biosolids survey\report\ j206 biosolids strategy report rev 1.docx Project manager: Paul Darvodelsky Prepared By: Paul Darvodelsky reviewed By: Trevor Bridle approved for issue: Paul Darvodelsky Document Status: Revision 1 Date of issue December 2011 Approved for issue 20 December 2011 improving our environment psd pty ltd SEWPAC BIOSOLIDS SnAPShOt Table of Contents SUMMARY 3 BACKGROUND 3 DATA 3 WHAT ARE BIOSOLIDS? 3 BIOSOLIDS PRODUCTION IN AUSTRALIA 4 BIOSOLIDS
    [Show full text]
  • Biosolids Disposal in Pennsylvania
    Biosolids Disposal in Pennsylvania THE CENTER FOR ural Pennsylvania A Legislative Agency of the Pennsylvania General Assembly Biosolids Disposal in Pennsylvania Herschel A. Elliott, Ph.D., and Robin C. Brandt, Ph.D., Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, and James S. Shortle, Ph.D., Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology Pennsylvania State University November 2007 This project was sponsored by a grant from the Center for Rural Pennsylvania, a legislative agency of the Pennsyl- vania General Assembly. The Center for Rural Pennsylvania is a bipartisan, bicameral legislative agency that serves as a resource for rural policy within the Pennsylvania General Assembly. It was created in 1987 under Act 16, the Rural Revitalization Act, to promote and sustain the vitality of Pennsylvania’s rural and small communities. Information contained in this report does not necessarily reflect the views of individual board members or the Center for Rural Pennsylvania. For more information, contact the Center for Rural Pennsylvania, 200 North Third St., Suite 600, Harrisburg, PA 17101, telephone (717) 787-9555, fax (717) 772-3587, email: [email protected]. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY TABLE OF CONTENTS Centralized wastewater collection and treatment, while providing numerous health and environmental benefits, produce by-product solids that present a set of Introduction ............................................................ 5 complex issues and challenges. Biosolids are wastewater Project Objectives and Methodology ..................... 8 solids treated to meet contaminant standards that make Inventory of Biosolids Disposal them suitable for recycling. Currently, three major Practices in Pennsylvania................................. 8 biosolids management options exist in Pennsylvania: land application, landfilling, and incineration. Statewide Survey of Biosolids Management To assess current biosolids management practices and Practices ..............................................................
    [Show full text]
  • The Potential of Biosolids and Other Amendments for Revegetation of Lead/Zinc Mine Tailings with Three Biomass Crops: Greenhouse Study
    The Potential of Biosolids and Other Amendments for Revegetation of Lead/Zinc Mine Tailings with Three Biomass Crops: Greenhouse Study Mariam Al-Lami and Joel Burken Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering, Missouri S&T, Rolla MO June 6th, 2016 Background • Mine tailings are produced by mining and processing of economically-important minerals, and usually characterized by: • Poor soil structure. • Devoid of vegetation cover. • Heavy metal (HMs) content. Background • Tailings revegetation is required to achieve: • Land Reclamation. • Long-term stabilization. • Enhanced restoration. Background • Tailings Phytoremediation involves two mechanisms: • Phytostabilization: – In-situ immobilization. • Phytoextraction: – Removal of HMs accumulated in plant tissue. Background • Mine tailings are typically difficult to revegetate due to: • Poor soil structure. • Lack of essential nutrients. • Metal toxicity. • Adding appropriate soil amendment should be considered when dealing with tailings revegetation. Background: Rich Organic Amendments: • Biosolids (BS): – BS contain up to 50% organic matter which serve as: • Carbon and nutrients source for microorganism. • Binding agents for aggregate formation and stabilization. 6 Background: Rich Organic Amendments: • Biosolids (BS): – BS contain a full range of nutrients that are necessary for plant growth. – Increasing soil Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC). – Reduce HMs bioavailability by forming strong complexes. 7 Background: Rich Organic Amendments: • Biochar (BC): – Increase water holding capacity. – Increase CEC. – Decrease bioavailablity of HMs such as Cd, Pb, TI, and Zn. – Elevate C/N ratio, thus reduce nutrients leaching. 8 Background: Other Amendments: – Soil Secrets Products: • TerraPro supramolecular humus (HS) – Molecular compounds called organic acids and characterized by long lasting in soil. • Protein crumblies (P) – large organic compounds made of amino acids and rich in nitrogen.
    [Show full text]
  • Wastewater and Biosolids Treatment: Solution for Environment Protection
    Radiation Technologies: Contributing to a Cleaner Environment and Better Health Care Wastewater and biosolids treatment: Solution for environment protection Radioisotopes and radiation technologies, including radiation processing, ra- diotracers and nucleonic measurement systems, underpin a variety of industrial and environmental applications and contribute to the development of countries worldwide by providing environmentally friendly solutions. The Radioisotope Production and Radiation Technology Programme of the IAEA assists and ad- vises Member States in assessing their needs for capacity building, research, development and deployment of environmentally sustainable technologies for socio-economic benefits. Radiation processing offers a unique additive free technology to treat wastewa- ter from different origins and biosolids with high efficiency and reliability. Polluted Water The wastewater problem Continued urbanization and industrialization of cities across the world, and ac- cidental or intentional hazardous dumping of waste in water bodies are the lead- ing factors contributing to contamination of ocean waters that is threatening the health and well-being of humans, plants and animals. Rapid developments in radiation technology have greatly increased our ability to effectively treat con- taminants such as industrial wastewater and municipal wastewaters, which are the leading sources of pollution. Radiation techniques have been successfully Electron beam deployed to demonstrate the effectiveness of the technologies. treatment Radiation treatment of wastewater The conventional processes used for wastewater treatment are not always capa- ble of treating many of the chemicals present in wastewaters and treatment re- mains a challenge. The presence of emerging organic pollutants from industries and human activities, such as excreted drugs, pesticides and endocrine disrup- tors, may profoundly affect aquatic life, even at trace levels.
    [Show full text]